file_get_contents

Description

Identical to file(), except that file_get_contents() returns the file in a string.

file_get_contents() is the preferred way to read the contents of a file into a string. It will use memory mapping techniques if supported by your OS to enhance performance.

Note: This function is binary-safe.

Tip: You can use a URL as a filename with this function if the fopen wrappers have been enabled. See fopen() for more details on how to specify the filename and Appendix I for a list of supported URL protocols.